Military Exercises

Having secured Feng Zhian's permission, Zhu Shiqing gained access to the 37th Division's radio in Wanping. Drafting the telegram, however, proved a troubling dilemma. From his vantage point as a mere regimental staff officer, his days were spent watching puppet troops and Japanese squads. When it came to offering constructive assessments of the wider strategic situation in North China, he had little confidence. Yet judging by today's banquet alone, the scenes inside Zhongnanhai were proof enough that tensions between the two sides had reached a knife edge. Factoring in Song Zheyuan's departure and the Northwest Army's lack of unified leadership, Zhu Shiqing judged that the Japanese would not lightly pass up this opportunity. In truth, he was curious: the General Staff in Nanjing surely possessed other channels to discern North China's situation beyond just his reports. He wondered what assessment Instructor Ming Quan, far away in Nanjing, held of North China at this moment. After careful deliberation, amidst a flurry of beeps and rhythmic clicks, Zhu Shiqing transmitted his report to Nanjing: "To Chief Ming, respectfully presented: Since my arrival in Beiping and Tianjin, Japanese invaders have been actively stirring, provoking incidents across Wanping, Fengtai, and Beiping. General Song's troops do not fear their barbarous malice; shielding the land with their own bodies, they harbor no intent to compromise. Nanjing may set its mind at ease. The puppet troops in East Hebei are stockpiling grain and growing restless. It is hoped that Nanjing will closely monitor movements beyond the pass and give timely warning to Song's forces to guard against a sudden outbreak of hostilities and lack of readiness. Furthermore, your student dares to suggest that the central government deploy troops to Henan first, holding them in place to observe developments. Should the situation at the front grow critical, they should swiftly advance north to reinforce and secure key transport arteries. Respectfully submitted, your student Jiuru." By the time the transmission finished, dawn was already breaking. A signalman from division headquarters was ordered to escort Zhu Shiqing back to Zhaojiazhuang. The military jeep sped down the road. After exiting Wanping's East Gate, the Northwest Army soldiers stationed outside the city were already preparing for morning drill, but what was truly alarming was that in the Japanese encampment just inches away from the Chinese positions, military exercises had begun. Not far from the Chinese troops, Japanese soldiers carried out training drills: sprinting, bayonet combat, crawling forward, and shooting. Zhu Shiqing had no interest in admiring the individual skill of front-line Japanese soldiers. At that moment, all he wanted was to hurry back to Zhaojiazhuang and catch up on sleep. If Sun Yi ever tried to make him take the fall again, he wouldn't go for anything in the world. Also up all night, just like Zhu Shiqing, was Tong Linge. After conferring with Qin Dechun, he readjusted the military deployments across the Beiping-Tianjin region. First, he urgently ordered Zhang Zizhong's 38th Division to move immediately along the Beining Railway line between Beiping and Tianjin, strengthening communication between the two cities and securing defenses east of the Yongding River. He ordered Zheng Dazhang's Cavalry 9th Division to reinforce Wanping, assisting the 37th Division in defending the line from Wanping to Fengtai, and detached He Jifeng's brigade from Feng Zhian's 37th Division to garrison Xiyuan in Beiping, guarding Beiping's flank. West of the Yongding River, Tong Linge ordered Zhao Dengyu's 132nd Division to take up positions around Renqiu and Hejian in Hebei as a support force. Meanwhile, to the north, with Liu Ruming as chief commander, Tong deployed four brigades plus a security corps to hold the Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua areas. With this, Tong Linge's defense layout for Beiping and Tianjin was largely complete, awaiting only the units to receive their orders, move to their respective defense sectors, construct fortifications, and prepare to engage the enemy at any time. Yet in terms of the overall disposition of opposing forces, the 29th Army remained on the defensive. East of the Yongding River, Chinese forces had lost control of virtually all communication lines and vital military strongpoints, leaving only Lugou Bridge to connect east and west—the 29th Army's sole lifeline. If Lugou Bridge fell to the Japanese, the 29th Army units east of the Yongding River would be entirely cut off. Lugou Bridge was therefore poised to become the pivotal point in the contest between the two sides. The Japanese military drills went on every day, just like five years before. Day and night, Chinese troops remained on high alert, not daring to let their guard down for an instant lest the Japanese provoke a sudden incident somewhere to engineer another Mukden Incident. Stationed at Zhaojiazhuang, the 219th Regiment could clearly sense the Japanese movements. The Japanese force across from Fengtai had increased from a single platoon to a full battalion, drilling relentlessly every day without cease. Japanese soldiers on the other side of the railway frequently made lunging, charging gestures toward Gu Chuanning's soldiers, drawing only furious glares from the Chinese troops in return. To the south, the East Hebei puppet troops toward Tongxian were just as restless. Over the past half month, moving in battalion strength, they had swept north along the Jinnan Highway, though they always stayed outside Regiment Sun's defense sector. July arrived. Though not as scorching as summer in Wuhan or Nanjing, the heat around Beiping this year was oppressive nonetheless. The sky was brightening earlier and earlier. Sun Yi had managed to get hold of a cartload of equipment from somewhere, grandly hauling it into Zhaojiazhuang that morning. "Where did you strike it rich, Regiment Commander?" In the regimental headquarters, Zhu Shiqing now had his own "desk"—a table set next to the hanging wall map. He had drawn a scaled-down tactical sketch of the North China situation map and recorded details on small cards, having Fang Wenjian take the reconnaissance squad out roaming every day to verify the accuracy of the information on the sketch. Sun Yi stomped into headquarters, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. Slipping the sidearm strap off his neck, he tossed it onto the table, unable to conceal the grin on his face. "I squeezed the division commander good this time! He gave us another two hundred Hanyang rifles straight out. He really came through for us." "Yo, Regiment Commander, Division Commander Feng fobbed you off with just two hundred rifles?" Sitting on the other side sipping tea, Xiang Chengyu turned around to join in the fun. "After we hit Lijiatun, we aren't short on guns—we're short on men. What good are rifles alone? You ought to have the division commander send us some fresh recruits right away." "Come off it," Sun Yi snorted, plopping down into his commander's chair, suddenly showing some sympathy for his old division commander. "Where's the division commander going to get men? Everyone everywhere is clamoring for personnel. The division isn't having an easy time either. But having guns solves half the problem. Who am I? I'm Sun Yi! With guns, you have troops. In a couple of days, we'll go recruit some fresh lads." "We really do need to recruit. Right now we're two battalions at best," Xiang Chengyu said, exasperated. "Old Tan is still out there sparring with the devils today." The "sparring" Xiang Chengyu meant was 3rd Battalion Commander Tan Hai personally keeping watch at Fengtai Station. Every day when there was nothing else to do, Tan would drill his men in marching formations and bayonet thrusts just to butt heads with the Japanese across the way. Because the Japanese had reinforced their positions, the 3rd Battalion had simply moved its quarters to Fengtai. "Heh, damn it all, these Japanese drills are getting fishy," Sun Yi said, suddenly remembering something and gesturing with his hands. "The scale has been growing bigger and bigger lately. A couple days ago, looked like they even dragged artillery over. The way those guns went off, you'd think I could hear them right from here." Zhu Shiqing knew Sun Yi was only joking. Given the distance from Fengtai Station to Zhaojiazhuang, even earthshaking artillery fire would sound like a faint pop from here. "Regiment Commander, we need to report that to the division right away," Zhu Shiqing said, tracing a line on his sketch before looking up. "If the Japanese are truly going to fight, there's always a sign." "What kind of sign?" Sun Yi asked with curiosity. Zhu Shiqing smiled and replied, "When the devils intend to fight, they usually wheel their artillery straight to the front."